ARCHIVE
MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES
OCTOBER 2019 • UNCUT• 51
strikingaboutSavanetodayis its
texturalandsonicrichness,from
theparchedavant-bluegrasstwangs
of“YerBoundaFara”tothewarm,
surgingCeltic-shantychoralswells
of“Machengoidi”.A musicalZen
masterongrandautumnalform,
minimalandmesmerising.
Extras:None.ST E P H E NDA LTO N
VARIOUSARTISTS
BeatingHeart:
TanzaniaOriginals
BEATINGHEART
7/10
Archiverecordingsfromanother
world, anotherlifetimeago...
Asanupper-class
Englishcolonial
farmerinRhodesia
inthe1920s,Hugh
Traceybecame
fascinatedbythe
indigenousmusicperformedbyhis
workers.Hespentthenext 40 years
travellingthecontinentmaking
fieldrecordings,likea sub-Saharan
equivalentofAlanLomax’sjourneys
inAmerica’sDeepSouth.Heendedup
withanarchiveof35,000recordings
from 18 differentcountriesthatstands
unrivalledasthemostimportant
ethnomusicologicalcollectionof
Africanmusiceverassembled.Beating
Heartarea London-basedcollective
devotedtodigitallypreservingTracey’s
originaltapes.Theaesthetichereis
similartotherecentlyreleasedDavid
Attenboroughfieldrecordingsmade
aroundthesametime(reviewedin
Uncut#259),butwhereasthatset
trawledtheglobe,thiscollection
focusesexclusivelyona tripTracey
madetoTanganyika(nowTanzania)in
1950.Whatstandsoutis thecomplexity
oftherhythmicpatterns– beatenout
onsticks,stampedbarefootonthe
groundorplayedontalkingdrums,
butasfunkyashell.Therearealso
huntingsongsplayedonwooden
flutes,weddingtunesplayedonthumb
pianosandgloriousharmonyvoices
aplenty. The earthiness is thrilling but
there’sa surprisingsophistication,
too.Timelessandintoxicating.
Extras:7/10 .Bookletthatincludes
Tracey’soriginalfield notes.
NIGELWILLIAMSONVARIOUSARTISTS
Strain,Crack& Break:
MusicFromTheNurseWith
WoundList– Volume One
FINDERSKEEPERS
8/10
Treasuretroveof’70s
French weirdness
IncludedwithNurse
WithWound’s 1979
debutalbumof
surrealistavant-rock
wasa nowsemi-
legendarylistof 291
undergroundactswhoinspiredit.Most
ofthenamesweresoobscurethatit was
widelyassumedthebandhadsimply
madethemup.ButNWW’sSteven
Stapletonwasalreadyanauthorityon
strangesounds,havingspentmuch
oftheprecedingdecadecrate-digging
hiswayacrossEurope,accumulating
recordsbasedonhowweirdthey
looked.Thiscompilationpresents
highlightsfromthelist’sFrench
contingent,a cornucopiaofdelights
bothfascinatingandfrightening.A
fewnamesmaybefamiliar:there’s
a filmnoirsoundtrackexcerptby
musiqueconcrètepioneerPierreHenry,
Gongprovidewibblybackingforpoet
DashiellHedayat,whileprolificstudio
experimentalistJean-PierreMassiera
appearsasHorrificChild,whosesole
albumofderangedAfro-progwas
reissuedbyFindersKeepersin2009.
ButStrain,Crack& Breakdelvesdeeper,
celebratingthequeasyaudiocollages
ofPhilippeBesombes,thefreaky
farmyardfluteofJeanCohen-Solaland
theBeefheartJackanoryvibesofEtron
FouLeloublan(literally,MadShitWhite
Wolf).Themusicis consistentlyoddbut
rarelyoff-putting:witnessthebeautiful
electronicfolkpopof“SoloUnDia”by
ZNR,anearlyprojectofHectorZazou.
Extras: None.SAM RICHARDSTHEVELVET
UNDERGROUND
TheComplete Matrix Tapes
POLYDOR/UME
8/10
They’regonnahavea real
good time together
Recordedduring
November 1969 at
SanFrancisco’s
fablednightspot,
TheCompleteMatrix
Tapescapturesthe
Velvetsina periodoftransition.They
hadrecentlyreleasedtheirthird
album– theirfirstwithoutJohnCale,
who’dleftthebandtheprevious
year– andwerealreadyintheprocess
ofpreppingyetanother.Compared
with,say,the 1967 Gymnasium
recordings,wheretheCalelineupcan
bewitnessedinitsraw,primitiveglory,
theMatrixtapesfindthebandina
differentspaceentirely.Thisis a more
focused,controlledVelvets– fromtwo
astonishingversionsof“WhatGoes
On”,drivenbySterling’sMorrison’s
choppyguitarandDougYule’stight
organriffs,toanedgy,urgent“Rock
& Roll”.Evena 37-minuteversionof
“Sister Ray” feels more relaxed andnoodlythantheWhiteLight/White
Heatversion.Butthat’snottosay
thatwithoutCale’sblazingavantgarde
tendenciesthebandwerediminished:
farfromit.Thisset(nowavailable
onvinyl)confirmstheVelvetsas
mastersofnotsomuchnoiseas
fierce,tightgroove,propelledby
MoTucker’sproto-motorikbeats
andthetightlyinterwovenplaying
ofLouReedandMorrison.
Extras:None.
MICHAELBONNERCOMINGNEXT
MONTH...
W
E’LLbetakinga
lookata hostof
promisingnew
records,includingMark
LaneganBand’sSomebody’s
Knocking,Kacy& Clayton’s
CarryingOnandRedRiver
Dialect’sAbundance
WelcomingGhosts, along
withmorefromAllah-Las,
DIIVandBrijean.
Emergingfromourbulging
archivalchest,there’llbe
releasesfromTheDoors
witha revampedSoftParade,
theReplacements,who’ll
unveilboxsetDeadMan’s
Pop, andCaravan,whose
essentialalbumsare
cataloguedinTheDecca/
D e ra mYea rs. Also,better
clearsomecupboardspace
fora gargantuanBakersfield
Soundcompilation from
BearFamily.
[email protected]Velvet
evolution:(l-r)
DougYu le,
LouReed,
MoTucker
andSterling
Morrison, 1970SUBSCRIBE
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